Best. Books. Ever....

This is a discussion on Best. Books. Ever.... within the Off Topic & Humor Discussion forums, part of the The Back Porch category; I'm a reader. Grew up reading everything I could, and loved taking my mind on learning excursions and adventures.
Chris quoted a passage from one ...

Best. Books. Ever....

I'm a reader. Grew up reading everything I could, and loved taking my mind on learning excursions and adventures.

Chris quoted a passage from one of my top 3 all-time favorite books in another thread: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. It got me thinking about starting a thread asking forum members what their top-3 alltime favorite books might be.

I realize that it's like asking what someone's favorite movie or CD is...always subject to change depending on mood of the moment, but here goes for starters:

#1 Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand...I had heard of this book for many years, but didn't read it until about 10 years ago. If you've ever thought there was something about politics and government that wasn't "quite right" in a sinister sort of way that you can't really put your finger on, this book shines a light on it like a flashlight in a room full of cockroaches. Timeless truths about the role (and power) of the individual in society. A life changing kind of book...I've loaned my copy to many people, and a few haven't really liked it, but for the rest, it was like loaning my DVD set of the 2nd season of '24' to someone who hasn't ever seen Jack Bauer in action: Instant Addiction!

#2 Shogun by James Clavell...this novel takes place in 15th century Japan, and is both entertaining and educational. An English Sea Captain dropped into the complex world of the Japanese Shogunate. An excellent TV mini-series was developed in the 1970's, but the book is far richer and deeper.

#3 The Stand by Steven King...I don't know if any author has put more words to paper than Steven King...this is his best work (IMHO) and a must read for anybody with an active imagination.

Honorable mention...Watership Down by Richard AdamsThe Hobbit by J.R.R. TolkienStarship Troopers by Robert HeinleinThe Killer Angels by Michael ShaaraHart's War by John Katzenbach

Please add to the list and point me toward your favorite reads...I'm always looking for new adventures!

"He went on two legs, wore clothes and was a human being, but nevertheless he was in reality a wolf of the Steppes. He had learned a good deal . . . and was a fairly clever fellow. What he had not learned, however, was this: to find contentment in himself and his own life. The cause of this apparently was that at the bottom of his heart he knew all the time (or thought he knew) that he was in reality not a man, but a wolf of the Steppes."

I certainly couldn't pick only 3 out of the hundreds of books I have read over the last few years, but I can tell you that right now I am on a Nelson DeMille kick. I've read 4 of his books the last 2 months or so and I'm having a ton of fun.

I typically read military fiction but I have ben expanding into crime and horror a little bit lately for something different.